The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-08-23
A "SNOKY SOUWESTER."
A BIT OF STORMY EXPERIENCE
ABOARD THE CORONET.

A Time When There Isn't Particle of
Fun In Running Yacht Race-A Try
ing and Dangerous Experimental bad
Night
A smoky sou'wester" is not a pleasant
thing to sail in The weather comes in alter
nate squalls Of wind and rain. 1t is so thick
that you cannot see a ships length ahead,
and are liable TO run into an iceberg in an ice
country or an ocean steamer in the steamer
track before YOU can port your helm. As
the forenoon wore on it grew worse. The
barometer went steadily down like the hopes
of a man with the liver complaint, and the
wind did not show the least fatigue, but
seemed to have TesOlutely determined &c
blow cur teeth out. We were compelled tc
take in the main stOrmtrysail and jib and
scudded under the fore stormtrysail, close
reefed, and the reefed fore staysail. The
wind was on the starboard quarter and the
boat labored heavily. The waves, huge
ugly racers, struck bang against her weather
bow, as if blown from a battery of 100 ton
guns The spray, every time that they
smashed her, flew in a great white cloud to
the masthead.
Astern of US came huge flying banks of
black water snarling and angry as they
came for us, towering high in the air over
the stern and seeming each instant about to
fall on the deck and force US down forever
from the surface of an ocean which they ap-
peared to regard their own. 1t was
grand and terrible picture. 1t was little
different from yachting on the sound II
was hard to believe that an ocean which can
be so placid and quiet a cloud mirror could
transform itself into the raging, sulen and
c.-1
But the Coronet appeared to have been built
for scudding. The chasing water mountains
only served to push her and onward, and
before any one could fall she was lifted frse
and was sweeping up the hillside ahead.
NO FUN ON BOARD.
The oil bags which were put on board to
smooth the surface water were rugged on the
weather foreyard-arm, but were of no par
ticulaT use. The rapidity of our motion
made the oUtOozing of oil on given space
too meager to have any practical effect 1t
was baby's hand trying to smooth the back
o. an angry dog
Free baths were the rule. If ANYBODY on
board had ever neglected the ordinances of
that cleanliness which is next to godliness he
made full atonement We managed, with
out effort, to be let about all the time. It
was not unpleasant, however as we were In
the gulf stream at this time and the water
was not cold. 1t was a novel experience,
however, to see a sea come over sand find
yourself up to your waist in water for an
instant
Meals in an ocean race are not matters OF
exact calculation just as the roast Is brown
ing, the vegetables softening, and the soup
components forming a harmonious partner
ship Neptune is apt to get savory sniff, in
dulge in a spiteful peek down the hatchway
and dash the fire out. So it happened on this
day. The cook was busy at work when some
fifty gallons of water came down his back
and TUNED the stove heat into steam. He
tried TO relight the fire with profanity and
came near succeeding. We dined on cold
canned meats and what we could pick up.
The wind b'ew harder and harder. The
yacht was laboring badly Even the little
canvas on her, all that it was safe to carry,
made her leap and plunge over the raging,
swift changing hillOclzs, now staggering a
little as she was struck, now shivering with
the tremendous strain in way that was as
trying to nerves as it was to planking Heav-
ing to would have been Capt. Crosby's re-
course, he said, under ordinary circumstances
The fact that he was racing, however,
changed the complexion Of affairs and he set
the squaresail without the bonnet and took
advantage of the gale This lifted her head.
made her ride more easily, and greatly aug
mented her speed. The days record was PIG
miles.
ANOTHER BAD NIGHT.
Another gale slowly developed, and we had
to haul down the staysail with the barometer
still falling. Without warning, as the night
was falling, the gale suddenly rose to hurri-
cane. 1t was the experience of the night be-
fore, doubled il possible. The racing ques-
ton for a time disappeared The question
was how to save the vessel and ourselves.